Refrigerator car construction



Dec. 7, 1943. v. E. WEST 2,336,443

REFRIGERATOR GAR CONSTRUCTION Filed April 4, 1941 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 [nuezzfm- Viv/1E1 @51 Dec. 7, 1943.

v. E. WEST REFRIGERATOR CAR CONSTRUCTION Filed April 4, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mQ l S1 Q X v |i: $9 I l ilk/726? Patented Dec. 7, 1943 REFRIGERATOR CAR CONSTRUCTION Victor E. West, Chicago, 111., assignor to Standard Railway Devices Company, a corporation of Delaware Application April 4, 1941, Serial No. 386,761

'2 Claims.

This invention relates to refrigerator cars used to transport perishable commodities at a predetermined temperature. The essential features of a refrigerator car are an insulated body to prevent or retard ingress of heat during warm weather and egress of heat during cold weather, and a cooling means and a heating means to be used during warm and cold weather respectively.

This invention applies particularly to cars in which the cooling means, preferably containers for water ice, eutectic ice, brine or dry ice, are disposed immediately below the roof of the car. The lading is supported in spaced relation to the floor by a foraminous rack. Flues, preferably associated with the side Walls of the car, communicate between the cooling means and the space under the floor rack to provide a path for the circulation of air. The path is from the cooling means downwardly through the aforementioned fiues, through the space under the floor rack, upwardly through the lading compartment thereby cooling the lading, and finally to the cooling means from where the cycle is repeated.

The invention relates particularly to refrigerant containers as used in cars of the type hereinabove described and especially to the methods of economically manufacturing such containers. The essential characteristics of such refrigerant containers are:

The containers must have great strength. More than one thousand pounds of ice and salt are sometimes loaded into a refrigerant container and the service movements of the car impart large inertia thrusts to this mass of refrigerant. The container must be strong enough to resist such thrusts. Furthermore, the containers must be readily removable for cleaning and repairing and for this purpose it is desirable that the containers be supported at relatively few points, thereby increasing the necessity for strong and rigid containers.

Refrigerant containers for a car of this particular type commonly have their tops and bottoms disposed in non-parallel planes. This is brought about by the necessity of inclining the bottom of the tank for drainage purposes and for maintaining the top substantially horizontal or otherwise divergent with the roof of the car to provide for flow of ventilating air to the interior of the car.

Refrigerant containers for all cars are not necessarily of the same size. Certain cars are used for different types of service; therefore, different amounts of ice are provided and the containers, for the sake of economy in construction and operation, are commonly made of the proper size to handle the amount of ice required for the particular type of service involved.

It is an object of my invention to manufacture containers economically and in quantity to meet the conditions outlined above.

It is another object to use the same dies for the manufacture of certain parts of the container and for the manufacture of certain of the panel sheets which form the side wall flues.

A further object is to provide a, means for overflowing liquid from the container, which means will become apparent from the following detailed description,

I accomplish the above objects by making the top and bottom of the container identical and by providing an intermediate part which may be proportioned according to the size of container desired. I secure the top, bottom and intermediate pieces together by spot welding, bolting, riveting, seam welding or other means. The dies required for manufacturing a container are expensive and considerable economy can be effected by using the same dies for the top and bottom of the container.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following detailed description by referring to the accompanying drawli'lgS.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a transverse section througha refrigerator car embodying a container constructed according to my present invention.

Figure 2 is an end view of the container shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a side view in Figures 1 and 2.

Figures 4, 5, 6 and '7 are end views of modified forms of containers.

Figure 8 is a partial side tainer shown in Figure 7.

The general parts of the refrigerator car shown in Figure 1 are insulated I'OOf A; side wall B; floor D; refrigerant container E; hatch F for loading refrigerant into the container E; side wall flue G; foraminous floor rack H and space J between the rack H and the floor D. A refrigerant container E is positioned directly below the roof A and adjacent a side wall B. A drip pan K is provided below the container E and a partition L is disposed in an upstanding position at the edge of the container shown elevation of the conof the drip pan K. The drip pan K and thepartition L cooperate with the roof A and the upper part of the side Wall B to form an enclosure M around the container E, an air inlet opening N to the enclosure M being provided by spacing the partition L from the roof A. An air discharge opening P leads from the enclosure M to the flue G at a lower elevation than the air inlet opening N. Cars of this type commonly have a row of refrigerant containers E near each side wall B, which containers are spaced apart to form a duct Q which communicates between the lading compartment R and openings N.

Air circulation is as follows: Air in the lading compartment R is warmed by contact with the lading and rises through the duct Q to enter the enclosing structures M through the. air inlet openings N. The air is then cooled by contact with the cold refrigerant containers E and falls by reason of its lower temperature and therefore greater density through the discharge openings P and flues G to the space J whence it rises through the rack H to the lading compartment R. The above described cycle is thereafter continuously re peated.

The side wall of the refrigerator car shown in Figure 1 includes an inner side plate 2, an inner side sill 3 and a metallic sheet 5 having an outwardly projecting panel 5, which panel cooperates with the side wall lining 8 to define the side wall flue G. Inner side posts 9 extend between and are secured to the side plate 2 and side sill 3 and transversely extending carlines I I have their ends secured to the inner side posts 9. The hatch F is surrounded by the hatch frame I2 which is preferably metallic. The roof A is pitched as is usual on railway cars and the top I I of the container E in the modification shown in Fig. 1 is substantially horizontal so as to form a ventilating duct I 5 between the container top I4 and the car ceiling II. It is evident that a similar ventilating duct could be formed by providing a container top having any slope different than the slope of the ceiling I l. A screen I8 is provided to keep ice out of the lading compartment R of the car during icing of the container E.

The container shown in Figures 1 to 3 comprises a bottom part 25 in the form of a pan having a web 28 and an upstanding peripheral flange 29. The flange 29 is of varying height and has a high side 3| adjacent to the side wall B of the car and a low side 32 adjacent to the center of the car. The flange 29 is provided on its upper edge with an outwardly projecting peripheral reflange 34. The top part 35 of the container 25 is a pan identical in shape with the bottom part 25 (made on the same dies) and comprises a web 31 and peripheral flange 38 having high (49) and low (4 I) sides, the flange 38 having a refiange 43. The parts 25, 35 are positioned so that the high sides 3|, 49 and low sides 32, II of the top and bottom pans are respectively aligned so that the webs 28, 3'! are non-parallel. .An opening 42 in the container top I4 is provided in alignment with the hatch F. In the modification shown, an annular intermediate member 44 of constant height is interposed between the top (35) and bottom (26) parts and provided at both its upper and lower margins with outwardly projecting peripheral rims 46, 41 adapted to engage flatwise with the respective reflanges 43, 34 of the top (35) and bottom (25) pans. The container 25 is supported within the car by the Z shaped brackets 49 each secured at one side thereof to a carline II and at the other side thereof to the reflange 35 of the bottom pan 25.

In the modification shown in Figure 4, the bottom part 55 of the container 55 is a pan substantially like that heretofore described and the intermediate part 58 is an annular ring also similar to that heretofore described. The top 59 of the container 55 is a substantially flat sheet attached to the outwardly projecting rims 6| of the annular ring 58. The container 56 shown in Figure 4 is used when the difference in slope between the top and bottom of the container is less than that shown in Figures 1 to 3.

In the modification shown in Figure 5, the bottom part 55 of the container 65 is a pan having a web 68 and a relatively deep, upstanding peripheral flange 69 having one side 1I higher than the other side I2. The intermediate part I I is an annular ring of Z shape cross section arranged to fit inside the flange 59 of the bottom part 65 and be secured thereto, preferably by an overlapping seam weld I5. The top H of the container is substantially like that shown in Figure 4 and is secured to the other parts of the container in a similar manner.

In the modification shown in Figure 6, the container 89 comprises top (BI) and bottom (83) identical pan members each comprising a web 35, a peripheral flange 85 of constant depth and an outwardly projecting peripheral refiange 81. The intermediate part 89 is an annular ring having upper (99) and lower (92) outwardly projecting peripheral rims arranged to engage and be secured to the respective reflanges 8? of the top (BI) and bottom (83) pan members. The intermediate part 89 has one side higher than the other side 95 and the difference in slope between the top and bottom of the container is dependent upon the difference in height between opposite sides 95 and 96 of the annular intermediate part 89.

In the modification shown in Figures 7 and 8, the container I00 is formed of upper (HM) and lower (I93) pan shaped members which are secured together with the high (I94) and low (I66) sides of the upper member IilI aligned i with the low (I01) and high (I99) sides respectively of the lower member I93. The peripheral flanges I95 of the upper (I01) and lower (I93) pan shaped members are provided respectively with outwardly projecting peripheral reflanges III), IIZ which engage and are secured together. Depressions H3 may be provided in the reflange of either the upper member (IUI) or the lower member (I53) or aligned depressions may be provided in both reflanges so that liquid may over-flow from the container to the drip pan K and thence downwardly through the side wall flue G. Such over-flow means could be equally well applied to the container shown in Figures 1 to 3.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof, within the scope of the claims, will occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A refrigerant container adapted for use in a refrigerator car comprising upper and lower pan shaped members each comprising a web and a peripheral flange, said members being disposed in facing spaced apart relation, an annular member extending between and secured to said flanges in substantial alignment therewith, and means secured to the sides 'of said container and attached to a fixed part of said car for suspending said container.

2. A refrigerant container adapted for use in a refrigerator car comprising upper and lower pan shaped members each comprising a web and a peripheral flange, said members being disposed in facing spaced apart relation, an annular member extending between said flanges, in substantial alignment therewith outstanding marginal rims on said annular member, refianges on said flanges secured to said rims, and means secured to the sides of said container and attached to a fixed part of said car for suspending said container.

3. A refrigerant container adapted for use in a refrigerator car comprising upper and lower pan shaped members each comprising a web and a peripheral flange, said members being disposed in facing spaced apart relation, an annular member extending between said flanges, outstanding marginal rims on said annular member, reflanges on said flanges secured to said rims, and depressions in certain of said refianges for overflow of liquid from said container.

4. A refrigerant container adapted for use in a refrigerator car comprising upper and lower substantially identical pan shaped members each comprisin a web and a peripheral flange, said members being disposed in facing spaced apart relation, an annular member extending between and secured to said flanges, said pans being deeper at certain sides thereof than at other sides and being arranged with their deeper sides aligned, whereby said container has a relatively deep side and a relatively shallow side, and brackets secured to opposite sides of said container and to a fixed part of said car for suspending said container.

5. A refrigerant container adaptedfor use in a refrigerator car comprising upper and lower pan shaped members each comprising a web and a peripheral flange, said members being disposed in facing spaced apart relation, an annular member extending between and secured to said flanges, said annular member being deeper at one side thereof, whereby said container has a relatively deep side and a relatively shallow side, and means secured to said flanges and to a fixed part of said car for suspending said container.

6. A refrigerant container adapted for use in a refrigerator car comprising upper and lower substantially identical pan shaped members each comprising a web and a peripheral flange, said members being disposed in facing relation, means to secure said flanges together, said pans being deeper at certain sides thereof than at other sides and being arranged with their deeper sides aligned, whereby said container has a relatively deep side and a relatively shallow side, and means secured to said flanges and to a fixed part of said car for suspending said container.

7. A refrigerant container adapted for use in a refrigerator car comprising upper and lower pan shaped members each comprising a web and a peripheral flange, said members being disposed in facing spaced apart relation, an annular member extending between said flanges, outstanding marginal rims on said annular member, reflanges on said flanges secured to said rims, and depressions in certain of said rims for overflow of liquid from said container.

VICTOR E. WEST. 

